If Only You Knew Read Online Free PDF Page A

Brandi’s. “Now go on.”
    And with that, Lauren tugged her jacket around her body, pulled her purse under her arm, and hightailed it down thestairs toward the track where her train was arriving. She hopped from one foot to the other and looked at her TAG—it was 11:30. The train doors could hardly open fast enough before Lauren practically ran through them, searching for a seat as close to the conductor as she could get without sitting on his lap.
    If she weren’t so preoccupied finding that seat, Lauren might’ve noticed the long shadow Jermaine’s hoody cast on the wall just beyond the station’s Coca-Cola vending machine.

3
SYDNEY
    â€œHey, wait up!” a voice called out from across the empty parking lot as Sydney tossed her bag over her shoulder and locked the door on her recently washed silver Saab. At six-thirty in the morning, it was still too early for most Brookhaven students to be awake let alone rolling up to school. Sydney looked cautiously over her shoulder in the direction of the sound of approaching footsteps and disengaged the safety lock on the tiny can of pepper spray attached to her key chain.
    â€œOh, hey,” Sydney replied with a relieved smile as Jason Danden’s familiar figure came into view from behind a couple of parked cars several rows over. An impressive six foot something, Jason’s smooth cocoa-colored skin, perfect smile, and chiseled physique, noticeable even under his heather-grayflannel shirt, immediately set the butterflies in her stomach aflutter. Sydney instinctively ran a hand over her head to smooth any flyaway curls. After weeks of dodging, Sydney was surprised at how happy she was to talk to him again.
    â€œMorning, sunshine, don’t you look pretty today,” Jason offered with a smile as he finally stood directly in front of her with his book bag on one shoulder and football helmet in the other hand. “The color is hot on you.”
    â€œAww, thanks, Jason,” she replied, shyly pulling the neck on her purple TSE cashmere sweater dress close against the early morning chill.
    â€œJust telling it like I see it,” he said simply. “So, long time no speak…Everything been good?” he asked before looking away slightly.
    Sydney looked down at the ground and shuffled her feet. “Yeah, right? Guess I’ve been kinda busy…”
    â€œTrue. These morning and afternoon practices have got me running, too,” he said with a slight shrug. “But, er, um, if you saw our last game, you know why we got to be out here as much as possible,” he joked.
    â€œWhatever,” Sydney giggled at his self-deprecating sense of humor. “If it makes it any better, you aren’t the only one trying to stage a comeback. I have some major catching up to do in Global if I don’t want Dr. Pitts to call me out again in class this week. Which is why I’m up here so early. Figured I’d hit the library while it’s still quiet.”
    â€œAnd you’re sure you couldn’t do that damage control from the comfort of your bed?” he continued with a grin.
    â€œOh, I’m sure,” she replied emphatically as the two started to walk in tandem toward the school entrance. What Sydney didn’t bother to say was that, in addition to the ongoing Marcus drama, ever since she’d learned of Keisha’s plans to clean out the basement, she’d been totally unable to sleep or relax, let alone study in the house. Convinced that Altimus was going to come storming into her room at any moment and threaten her within an inch of her life, Sydney spent the entire weekend trying to figure out how to get the photo album back downstairs and into the box without either parent noticing. Unfortunately, now that Mrs. Duke was officially HGTV obsessed, she ran in and out of the basement taking measurements and trying to figure out all the details of her upcoming renovation day and